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    Lisa M. Zurk, associate professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science at Portland State University, was honored today with the 2006 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).

    The award ceremony was held at 10:30 a.m. EST in the Presidential Hall of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building, located in the White House Complex. A reception and photo session with President Bush followed in the Indian Treaty Room.

    Zurk is one of only 56 researchers nationally to receive the award this year. PECASE is the nation¡¯s highest honor for professionals at the outset of their academic careers, whose work shows exceptional promise for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge during the 21st century.

    ¡°Today I congratulate and praise Professor Zurk of Portland State University for all she has accomplished in her research and as a professor,¡± said U.S. Rep. David Wu (D-OR). ¡°In just three years at PSU, she has spearheaded a record number of collaborations and founded the Northwest Electromagnetic and Acoustics Research Laboratory, which focuses on the modeling and analysis of electromagnetic and acoustic wave phenomenon for development of advanced signal processing techniques. This is the type of leadership in research and teaching that will move PSU forward.¡±

    ¡°We are thrilled about this well-deserved award,¡± said Michael Reardon, interim president at PSU. ¡°Professor Zurk¡¯s work exemplifies the great research going on at Portland State, and having two recipients of this Presidential award in the last three years is a testament to the quality of faculty we are able to recruit and bodes well for the future of our region.¡±

    Zurk was nominated by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which in 2006 selected her for a five-year, $400,000 NSF CAREER Award for her proposal, ¡°Electromagnetic Scattering and Propagation in Random Media at Terahertz Frequencies,¡± which explores the properties of the terahertz (THz) spectrum with a specific application of THz spectroscopy to the detection of explosives and to biomedical imaging.

    Similar to PECASE, the NSF¡¯s CAREER Award recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of teacher-scholars who are most likely to become academic leaders. The grant supports the faculty member¡¯s research projects and stimulates the discovery process, teaching and learning.

    Lisa Zurk joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) in PSU¡¯s Maseeh College of Engineering and Computer Science in January 2005. Since then, Zurk has secured more than $2 million in research funding, leading a record number of collaborations with such institutions as MIT Lincoln Laboratory, the Applied Physics Laboratory at the University of Washington, Oregon Health & Science University, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. She founded and directs the Northwest Electromagnetic and Acoustics Research Laboratory in the Maseeh College, which involves 10 graduate and undergraduate students and several ECE faculty members.

    Zurk¡¯s current research interests are primarily in the area of sensing phenomenon and have such relevant applications as remote sensing of the earth¡¯s surface, detection of explosives or bio-agents, and underwater acoustics (e.g., mapping coral reef habitats and estimating salmon populations). She is the author of over 50 technical publications and serves on numerous professional committees.

    Lisa Zurk was recently awarded the Office of Naval Research Entry-Level Faculty award for a proposal entitled ¡°Mid-Frequency Bottom Scattering Model Development and Validation.¡± This special research award in ocean acoustics provides funding for three years at the level of $100,000 per year and began January 2006. Another five-year, $500,000 research initiative with The Nature Conservancy is scheduled to kick-off January 2008. The funding supports the Conservation Technology Initiative, which partners PSU with the largest conservation organization in the world having a goal to rapidly harvest advanced technology for environmental monitoring and management.

    Before coming to Portland State, she spent 10 years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, conducting research in understanding the physics of electromagnetic and acoustic wave propagation through modeling and measurement to devise advanced, physics-based signal processing techniques. While at MIT, Zurk took a one-year sabbatical to teach and conduct research as a visiting Fulbright Professor in the University of Helsinki Math Department. Prior to MIT, she spent four years in the biomedical instrumentation industry.

    University of Oregon¡¯s Joseph Thornton, a professor of Evolutionary Biology, was the other Oregon PECASE winner. He was also nominated by the NSF, which had 20 nominations selected for the 2006 awards.

    Established in 1996, the PECASE awards recognize scientists and engineers nominated by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Education, National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.